FisherPicker - Posted - 11/07/2009:  19:00:22

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I just had to chime in on this.......

My wife is right behind me in my quest for a nicer instrument...as she is in most all of my endeavors....
She stands right behind me and says...."Go ahead honey! Enter that BHO drawing ...You're sure to win!"
Fingers crossed.

Blue Skies, Tight Lines, Good Tunes...

RayD - Posted - 11/08/2009:  08:59:16

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Now that's funny, FisherPicker!

Cheers,

RayD

erstokke - Posted - 11/08/2009:  13:24:58

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Good idea:
"Hi dear! Look what I won"

quote:

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Originally posted by FisherPicker

I just had to chime in on this.......

My wife is right behind me in my quest for a nicer instrument...as she is in most all of my endeavors....
She stands right behind me and says...."Go ahead honey! Enter that BHO drawing ...You're sure to win!"
Fingers crossed.

Blue Skies, Tight Lines, Good Tunes...

---

My banjo is pre-war. Pre the next war
Jan Erik from Norway

RayD - Posted - 11/08/2009:  14:09:55

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"Honey, look what I won! All I had to pay was a 'small' shipping and handling fee......honest!"

Cheers,

RayD

AJA - Posted - 11/08/2009:  15:27:09

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"Look, dear! I bought some new strings and this banjo came attached to them!"

Andy
sciencegeek.net

Janet Deering - Posted - 11/10/2009:  06:40:53

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Janet: the deal is that we agree to be partners, neither one of us is bought and paid for, there's no "commander."
We have partners to jam with and hunting buddies, too. Very satisfactory.

Brian. that is a great place to be. That is how Greg and I are as well.

The deal we made was he can have as many toys as he wants, as long as we have a big enough house for them. (We lived in a 900 sq. ft house for 27 years.)

So we got a bigger house!

---

Edited by - Janet Deering on 11/10/2009 06:46:09

gdoc - Posted - 11/10/2009:  21:17:07

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Well the 1926 Gibson arrived today, and I like it a lot, although it isn't as nice as a Deering, so that is still on the toget list.

I did notice this little ol' thumb screw and wondered what would happen if I just took if off....just a little bit.... oops!



Took 2 hours to get it back together again.

Wife is happy, mom is happy and I am happy.....

gdoc

Janet Deering - Posted - 11/11/2009:  06:56:52

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Yes! That is what it's all about.

We've got a banjo in almost every room of the house and even a Goodtime banjo on the boat. I didn't figure leaving a banjo on the boat in the marina was a very good idea but actually it has held up just fine much to my surprise. The strings get a little rusty, so we have to change them more often, but the banjo is just fine.

A house is not a home without a banjo and that goes for boats too. If every boat owner bought a banjo there would be a lot more banjos out there.

How about this one, Hey, honey, I bought a boat that the banjo came with it!

Janet

kingfisher78 - Posted - 11/11/2009:  16:12:51

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I had no worries upgrading a few weeks back. And can't see any problems in the future going up better again.
If your partner has to listen to you playing every day, then do her/him a favour and make it sound good for their sake.
The cheap banjo goes to the boat with me (in a Deering gig bag), but comes home again because of the high temps we are coming into now.

Shane.

Janet Deering - Posted - 11/13/2009:  06:28:10

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You are wise, I wouldn't leave it down there unless I had a banjo factory.

Thirty years ago Greg took the summer off to build a dorey with sliding racing seats, he would come in and turn tonerings when we needed them and then he was back to working on the boat. So when he decided he wanted a sailboat 15 years ago I was worried that he would build one and we'd never see him in the shop.

He told me to put an ad in the bluegrass club newsletters to trade a banjo for a sailboat. Months went by and I hadn't done it so he finally put his foot down. So I put a little add in that said

"Deering Banjo Company wants to go sailing but banjos won't float. So, we want to trade a banjo or banjos for a 27 foot or longer sailboat."

Three months went by with calls for people wanting to sell their boats but we didn't have the money to buy a boat. Then we got a call from Claus from L.A. saying that he had an Erickson 27' sailboat and he would like to trade for a Hartford banjo.

Our music trade show was coming up in the LA area so Greg arranged to duck out of the show and let me run the exhibit while he went to see the boat. After looking at it and returning to Claus' home to discuss the deal, Greg shook his head when Claus asked if he would make the trade. Greg told Claus "Your boat is worth more than a Hartford banjo".

Claus explained that he had diabedes and could not take the boat out any more, he had lived on it after his divorce and now that he was remarried for three years he didn't need the boat anymore and didn't want to continue to play slip fees, while he really wanted a Deering banjo.

Greg said he would make the trade but only if we made the Hartford banjo a lot more valuable. So they agreed and we made his Hartford of walnut, with abalone trim, carved the heel, chrome plated it, and put a custom brass plaque inside of it that said Custom Made for Claus...." We also shipped the banjo to John Hartford who played it and signed the head for him. And then we made the trade.

So Claus got his Hartford banjo and we got the Summer Wind.

Claus' wife told me that when she saw the bluegrass club newsletter she laid it open on the kitchen table hoping he would see the ad and trade his boat, but since it was his bachelor boat she didn't want to suggest it to him unless he brought it up. But she knew he wanted a Hartford banjo and it all came together.

When Greg says he wants me to do something unusual I am much less hestitant to cooperate. Who would have thought that would have been possible.

I learned to sail and we have enjoyed that boat for many years. And Claus has his beautiful Hartford banjo.

myork1 - Posted - 11/13/2009:  06:48:51

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Janet,
What a great story...just another example of why PASSION beats PRICE.
Very cool.
Love the name of your boat...the SUMMER WIND.
That just makes me wanna go sailing.


Michael

Have a Great "Banjo Day!"
BanjoDay@gmail.com
Michael York

mybote - Posted - 11/13/2009:  07:35:06

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Janet,
I can identify with your story. I am surprised at the number of banjo players I meet that are also into sailing. They are similar passions [and both holes in which to throw money]. I built wooden boats for some years and recently sold my 21' sloop. It was named " Far and Away". [listed in the registry of wooden boats].
Banjos+Boats= twice the addiction.

Janet Deering - Posted - 11/14/2009:  07:54:11

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Yes, it is twice the addiction. John Hartford was into boats as well and fully understood our desire.

Greg is naturally mechanical so has done all the work on the boat himself both the wood refinishing, building a new hatch and repairing the engine.

There is nothing quite as beautiful as getting off work on a weekend and jumping in the sailboat and watching the skyline colors change at dusk as we sail in the harbor.

Maybe we will go out sailing this weekend and play the banjo on the boat .....after we work on the new catalog.

Janet

maryzcox - Posted - 11/16/2009:  05:57:11

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Hello Janet and other banjo lovers,
Bob has me on super double triple banjo restriction right now. It makes it tough--but not impossible--to acquire a new banjo right now. I do, however, have 17 really wonderful banjos right now and play all of them and enjoy all of them.
I've been doing a new "Banjos In History" presentation that has been very successful--which I can usuallydemonstrate about 6=8 banjos at a time--so Bob is very pleased when he sees me playing and demonstrating that many banjos at a time. :)

Last weekend, when we did the Saturday night concert at the Suwannee Dulcimer Retreat--I had to pack mostly dulcimers--so I could only pack 2 banjos because I always play some banjo at concerts no matter what the venue.
I packed the Deering John Hartford and the Goldtone 5 string banjo Cello--because I can get the most diverse and crowd enjoyable sounds out of those instruments--if I can only take two.

Ways I can break banjo restriction:
1. Receive banjo as a gift.
2. Trade for a banjo with another instrument
3. Sell an existing banjo(ouch) to use funds for a new instrument
4. Place the stack of email marriage proposals in front of Bob to reread along with a color pix of the new banjo I'd like. His response is "I see you are a bit overdue for a new banjo."
5. Win banjo in a contest
6. Have a banjo maker send a prototype that is so beautiful that you just can't return it. :)
7. Sell enough CDs to have money left over at the end of the year after investing in new cd and or books. (I have to upfront all my own costs as I do not have a publisher.)

Don't you just love banjos? I think I must be one of the luckiest banjoists in the world to get to play so many wonderful banjos. Truly this is the golden age of banjos.



maryzcox.com
If you suspect you need a new banjo--you do. Trust your musical instincts. If a banjo calls to you to buy it, don't fight destiny. It was meant to be. :)
banjoquest.blogspot.com

Field videos of banjoists, banjos, tunes, and banjos in locations you may or may not have seen or heard before :)

Janet Deering - Posted - 11/17/2009:  08:00:47

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Ways I can break banjo restriction:
1. Receive banjo as a gift.

Mary, Great post. Wonderful ideas.

I like this one - buy a banjo, give it to your sister or brother to give to you for Christmas!

How about that?

---

Edited by - Janet Deering on 11/17/2009 08:01:36

RayD - Posted - 11/17/2009:  14:36:46

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"buy a banjo, give it to your sister or brother to give to you for Christmas!"

I like it. Got an excuse for the larger than normal amount on the credit card or check?

Cheers,

RayD

RatLer - Posted - 11/17/2009:  16:38:06

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My old Hondo was falling apart. The hooks were breaking off. I told her one these days its just going to fall apart in my hands. After years and years of whining...she broke down and got me one...

RatLer

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Edited by - RatLer on 11/17/2009 17:07:02

RayD - Posted - 11/17/2009:  16:48:15

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RatLer,

I'm confused. Did your bride get a banjo or just new hooks?

Cheers,

RayD

RatLer - Posted - 11/17/2009:  17:06:23

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Nope...I got the new banjo...she got nuthin', except she don't have to hear me whine anymore...

RatLer

Bassora - Posted - 11/17/2009:  17:51:08

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We no longer have a living room ... we have a Music Room.

My sweetie plays 5-string banjo, fiddle, and guitar. I play tenor banjo, mandolin, guitar, and piano. Our Music Room is, well, filled with musical instruments. We understand the need for a "new to us" instrument, the instrument with that unique sound that's the perfect addition. We like shopping together at MusicFolk and similar music shops looking for the right addition to our musical family.

You see, when you're both into music, buying a new banjo (or mandolin or guitar or fiddle ...) isn't a big deal.

So I recommend those who want to get another banjo ... find a mate who would want another guitar or mandolin. That scenario works very well.


Bassora Mo
from near the Big Mo

Janet Deering - Posted - 11/19/2009:  07:30:55

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"buy a banjo, give it to your sister or brother to give to you for Christmas!"

I like it. Got an excuse for the larger than normal amount on the credit card or check?

Sure, Ray.

"Its Christmas!"

Janet

RayD - Posted - 11/19/2009:  16:11:27

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quote:

---

"buy a banjo, give it to your sister or brother to give to you for Christmas!"

I like it. Got an excuse for the larger than normal amount on the credit card or check?

Sure, Ray.

"Its Christmas!"

Janet

---

That's good too. How about this?

"That check was for the banjo I gave my (insert sibling here) and I guess they just re-gifted it to me!"

RayD

Alan Hill - Posted - 11/19/2009:  16:26:00

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Its very hard to make the wife happy about me buying anther banjo when as soon as any American banjo gets to Australia they end up costing way more than they do in America so thats the thing thats why banjos are rare here, if you came up with a sales stratagy for Australia for reasonably priced banjos you would make a killing !

Janet Deering - Posted - 11/21/2009:  09:45:25

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I tell you, Alan. That was the most surprising and frustrating thing Greg learned on his trip to Australia.

The fact that the sales tax there is hidden in the price of goods so that the people there don't realize that what is driving their banjo costs up are actually the Australian sales tax, and import duties in addition to the freight on banjos.

You can save freight - just take your wife on vacation to the USA - she gets a vacation and you get a banjo! That will make the banjo cost seem like a lot less when you compare it to the whole vacation!

Cheers,
Janet

---

Edited by - Janet Deering on 11/25/2009 07:28:16

Bob Cox - Posted - 01/26/2010:  17:23:00

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quote:

---

Originally posted by maryzcox

Hello Janet and other banjo lovers,
Bob has me on super double triple banjo restriction right now. It makes it tough--but not impossible--to acquire a new banjo right now. I do, however, have 17 really wonderful banjos right now and play all of them and enjoy all of them.
I've been doing a new "Banjos In History" presentation that has been very successful--which I can usuallydemonstrate about 6=8 banjos at a time--so Bob is very pleased when he sees me playing and demonstrating that many banjos at a time. :)

Last weekend, when we did the Saturday night concert at the Suwannee Dulcimer Retreat--I had to pack mostly dulcimers--so I could only pack 2 banjos because I always play some banjo at concerts no matter what the venue.
I packed the Deering John Hartford and the Goldtone 5 string banjo Cello--because I can get the most diverse and crowd enjoyable sounds out of those instruments--if I can only take two.

Ways I can break banjo restriction:
1. Receive banjo as a gift.
2. Trade for a banjo with another instrument
3. Sell an existing banjo(ouch) to use funds for a new instrument
4. Place the stack of email marriage proposals in front of Bob to reread along with a color pix of the new banjo I'd like. His response is "I see you are a bit overdue for a new banjo."
5. Win banjo in a contest
6. Have a banjo maker send a prototype that is so beautiful that you just can't return it. :)
7. Sell enough CDs to have money left over at the end of the year after investing in new cd and or books. (I have to upfront all my own costs as I do not have a publisher.)

Don't you just love banjos? I think I must be one of the luckiest banjoists in the world to get to play so many wonderful banjos. Truly this is the golden age of banjos.



maryzcox.com
If you suspect you need a new banjo--you do. Trust your musical instincts. If a banjo calls to you to buy it, don't fight destiny. It was meant to be. :)
banjoquest.blogspot.com

Field videos of banjoists, banjos, tunes, and banjos in locations you may or may not have seen or heard before :)

---

You haven't begun to hear all her excuses/reasons. If any of you run out send her an Email (sigh)!

Bubbapicks2 - Posted - 01/26/2010:  18:07:45

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It would be no problem! I got a good little wife! If I wanted a new one she would get it for me! No problems here!!!!

Catching Second - Posted - 01/26/2010:  18:10:57

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If you marry the right person you'll never have to 'sell' them on you buying something that you are truly passionate about.

lethegoodtimesroll - Posted - 01/28/2010:  05:15:53

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Better to beg for forgivness then to ask for permission

Janet Deering - Posted - 01/29/2010:  06:33:50

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Yes, that's what I always say.

And I've gotten really good at begging for forgiveness!

samuelcdanny - Posted - 01/29/2010:  07:23:26

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Janet Deering

Yes, that's what I always say.

And I've gotten really good at begging for forgiveness!

---

How pleading you are to make your things done.. ?? Even me tried for sometimes couldn't succeed.. How about a situation you should ask you boss, for a leave .. how would you ask a serious boss.. yet he should say yes..???

Dany..

gdoc - Posted - 02/01/2010:  12:17:43

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Maybe you should re-name this thread,,, How does you wife sell you on buying a new banjo for yourself.

My Stelling sold last week, and so it came to crunch time on to buy or not to buy... And banjos are expensive (at least to me), so use the money for other things needed or buy the 3rd banjo. As I posted earlier, I have a Deering Goodtime, 1926 Gibson BB and a banjola.

So the discuession started. My wife tells me buy the banjo, I am talking responsibly about other needs. She talks about all her shoes, I talk responsibly about other needs. She talks about her jewlery, I talk about responsiblity and other needs.

She throws in the final punch.... my wife: "If you cannot make yourself happy, you cannot make me happy!"

I ordered the Deering Deluxe today from Tom Anderson at Janet Davis Music. So hurry up and build one for me Mrs. Deering!

Janet Deering - Posted - 02/01/2010:  20:00:31

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You got it!

Give your wife a kiss for me! She is a keeper.

vforcier - Posted - 02/07/2010:  09:50:56

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My wife has been fairly supportive, or at least she does not complain too much about my purchases. She complains more about me practicing in the living room every evening.

She has said "this is starting to look like a collection" It helps that I buy used, sell at break even or better, talk up my successful sales, and stay quiet about my purchases. I don't hide them, but I don't talk much about them either

What really helps in my house is that her friends husbands have had much more expensive or destructive midlife hobbies, classic cars, motorcycles, mistresses. My hobby looks benign and cheap by comparison.

olderpicker - Posted - 02/08/2010:  10:03:28

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I just let my wife sing in the band. It got me a new Calico.

Gymbal31 - Posted - 02/09/2010:  15:12:12

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I haven't mentioned this thread to my wife yet.

Just in case I need the "I won this banjo in the Banjo hangout drawing!"

gdoc - Posted - 03/10/2010:  00:13:23

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Finely after all this waiting, which seemed forever... My Deering Deluxe arrived today! Very nice banjo Janet. I was flip flooping between this banjo and another brand, but your input here to answer question for everone was the swing vote for me. It seemed to me that if your that involved with your customers, well, this is a company I would want to do business with. And I did.

Thanks for a nice banjo!

steve davis - Posted - 03/10/2010:  08:25:32

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Oh,excuse me...I thought this was about how to sell your loved one so you
could buy a new banjo...never mind.

gdoc - Posted - 03/10/2010:  21:05:58

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quote:

---

Originally posted by steve davis

Oh,excuse me...I thought this was about how to sell your loved one so you
could buy a new banjo...never mind.

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That's called divorce.... and you don't sell... YOU PAY!

Janet Deering - Posted - 03/11/2010:  07:09:02

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Congratulations on your new Deluxe, gdoc. Thanks for choosing a Deering.

I have gotten more chuckles from this thread!

You guys are great!

I want to hear Homer's approach here, he is so eloquent.....

Gomer - Posted - 03/11/2010:  07:24:07

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Janet Deering
I want to hear Homer's approach here, he is so eloquent.....

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Indeed he was, however Homer was more known for his style of epic poetry and the penta-verse of the Iliad and the Odyssey. To me, it all seems really tortured and tedious; very difficult to read. While I am all about banjos, I could just care less about the Trojan Wars.

My guess, were he alive today, is that he would simply start reading his poetry to his sig-other until she wafted off into a state of deep sleep and then bring the banjo in from the car before she awakened.

---

Edited by - Gomer on 03/11/2010 07:25:07

mountiepicker - Posted - 03/11/2010:  07:25:39

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I would never sell my wife for a new banjo...now a prewar, we can discuss :)

Tim13 - Posted - 03/11/2010:  19:46:16

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My wife and I went to a house jam session/party this past fall. I took my entry level Gold Tone Maple Classic 150 with me. Well, long story short, my wife heard first hand the difference between a beginner banjo, and the higher end instruments other people had brought with them. Half way through the night, sitting behind me, she leaned in to me and said; "you need a new banjo." Well, the quest was on at that point, and I ended up with a lightly used 2004 Stelling Virginian. At the instrument store, after hearing many makes and models of banjos, the Stelling had risen to the top of the heap. I was balking at the price since a banjo for me is a want, and not a need. She settled the matter by making it clear that if I didn't buy it, she was going to take it to the register herself and buy it. What could I do? If I let her make the actual transaction, it would technically be her banjo, and I didn't want her to be able to lord it over me for the rest of my life.....LOL.




Tim

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Edited by - Tim13 on 03/11/2010 20:06:38

TB-4 Guy - Posted - 03/11/2010:  20:51:30

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I've been on a quest for a new five string banjo for a while now. I know what I want and will move at the appropriate point.

That said, when I met my wife, we discussed my near-pathological addiction to motorcycles and musical instruments. She has not complained as yet these many years later and is fully behind my wish for a suitable five-string.

Marriage should not stifle the creative aspect that is inherent in making music of any kind. In that regard, instruments are a means to that end and finances permitting, that's the way it should be between a man and a woman.

So, ten guitars, three mandolins, a tenor banjo, autoharp, piano, ukelele and a violin later, I'm still going. Oh yeah, then there's the Harley-Davidson with the sidecar. LOL.

This is a great thread.

JMO.

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Edited by - TB-4 Guy on 03/11/2010 20:52:26

ltjgcag - Posted - 03/13/2010:  09:43:37

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I asked my bride one time "Do you love me?" When she said "Yes I do.", I asked her "How much? $750 worth?" LOL It worked!

skywaterbanjo - Posted - 03/19/2010:  13:49:53

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"It's not what you spend, it's how much you earn"

vforcier - Posted - 03/19/2010:  19:53:58

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I was at the music store. A couple of patrons were discussing a friends pending marriage. One informed the other that the marriage was called off. 5 weeks before the wedding, she told him "band or me" he chose the band. No one at the store thought he made the wrong decision. If you can't let each other do your own thing, you aren't ready.

I will drive a junker to have a decent instruments. They seldom lose value (I buy used). When I die, my kids will have keepsakes that really say something about dad. his instruments.

I regret most of the ones I have sold, but none of the ones I have bought. Are we re-united with our loved ones in heaven? I want my 1960 Les Paul Special back.